Introduction
From the very beginning, ALSense set out to be more than a research project: we wanted it to become a conversation. Our journey has been shaped by building bridges; between iGEM teams, schools, universities, hospitals, patient organizations, and the broader public. Through pitches, workshops, conferences, and social media, we sought to connect science with society, making ALS research accessible while listening to the voices that give it meaning.
In this section, we share how public engagement has guided and enriched ALSense: from our immersion in the iGEM entrepreneurial ecosystem, to educational initiatives that reached diverse audiences, to media appearances and collaborations that brought our story beyond the laboratory. Each activity reflects our belief that innovation grows stronger when it is shared, challenged, and co-created with the community.
"Public engagement transforms ideas into movements and research into change"
Building bridges across iGEM
In this section, we highlight ALSense's early immersion into the iGEM ecosystem, where our team laid the groundwork for collaborative thinking, pitched with purpose, and received insightful feedback from the broader iGEM community.
BioHackathon iGEM Startups (March 21–23, 2025)
What we did:
Four core members of our team participated in the iGEM Startups BioHackathon, a three-day kickoff event designed to immerse teams in the world of bio-entrepreneurship. The program featured a keynote talk by Professor George Church, who inspired participants with his vision of the future of synthetic biology, as well as a session by Dr. Lakmal Jayasinghe (Oxford Nanopore) on innovation and technology translation. We also attended a workshop on team dynamics led by Alejandra Borda, learned "DOs & DON'Ts" of co-founding, and joined a panel with iGEM alumni founders such as Niek Savelkoul (Scope Biosciences) and Stephanie Michelsen (Jellatech). The event culminated in speed-networking sessions with synthetic biology professionals and a final pitch round, where our team presented ALSense as one of the pitch finalists and received constructive feedback from the jury.
Objective:
Our aim was to orient ourselves within the iGEM methodology and entrepreneurial framework: learning how to shape a viable and impactful project, and refining our initial pitch to communicate it effectively.
Reflections & Insights:
This event served as our first real interface with the entrepreneurial side of iGEM. The talks and workshops helped us ground our vision in reality and inspired new directions for our project beyond just scientific novelty.
Impact:
The feedback we received during the final pitch sessions offered critical external validation. It sharpened our understanding of how to frame ALSense as a real-world solution, not just a lab concept.
iGEM Startups Summer School (July 26–27, 2025)
What we did:
Three team members from our entrepreneurship subgroup attended the iGEM Startups Summer School, a two-day immersive experience aimed at empowering emerging bio-founders. The program included workshops, panel discussions, case studies, and extensive networking opportunities.
Objective:
Our goal was twofold: first, to refine our strategic thinking around the entrepreneurship dimension of ALSense, and second, to build relationships with other iGEM teams, alumni, and mentors that could support our future endeavors.
Reflections & Insights:
Engaging with judges, former participants, and entrepreneurial experts helped us gain clarity on how to elevate our competition strategy and to envision a sustainable trajectory for our project post-iGEM.
Impact:
This event directly informed our approach to the entrepreneurship deliverables for the competition and gave us tools to consider ALSense's potential continuation beyond the iGEM season.
iGEM Symposium by Team London (August 13, 2025)
What we did:
Two team members attended a symposium in London, organized by the iGEM Team London, featuring a 2–3 hour program of panel discussions and guest talks. Notably, speakers from the cardiology faculty at University College London shared insights, and other iGEM teams participated in the discussions.
Objective:
We sought to gather additional feedback, understand diverse presentation styles, and observe how other teams engage with expert speakers.
Reflections & Insights:
This event was a valuable opportunity to step back and assess our project in the context of broader scientific and clinical domains. Hearing perspectives from cardiology professionals and fellow iGEMers enriched our understanding of ALSense's relevance and areas for improvement.
Impact:
We left with enhanced confidence in our pitch and a strengthened appreciation for how interdisciplinary collaborations can frame our work more effectively.
Communication for awareness
Workshops with Schools, Universities and older adults
What we did:
Our Education subteam organized several interactive workshops tailored to different age groups, from young children to university students and adults. These sessions aimed to spark curiosity, explain the basics of synthetic biology, and connect science with real-world challenges such as ALS.
Objective:
To make synthetic biology accessible to all audiences while fostering curiosity and awareness about ALS.
Reflections & Impact:
Designing content for different age groups taught us the importance of adaptability: simplifying complex concepts without losing rigor.
For a full overview of these activities, please visit our Education page.
Public Presentations and Talks - Foro Talento Joven. Fundación Princesa de Girona (July 23)
Our project leaders were invited to present ALSense at the Foro Talento Joven, an innovation and entrepreneurship forum organized by the Fundación Princesa de Girona, a national foundation supported by the Spanish Royal Family that promotes young talent with high social impact.
We competed alongside projects from established companies within the Foundation's network. Despite being among the youngest participants, ALSense was selected among the top four initiatives, a recognition that will soon translate into new opportunities.
This platform allowed us to network with influential leaders across business, academia and policy and to expand our project's visibility beyond the scientific field. We were also invited to the Premios Princesa de Girona at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, one of Spain's most prestigious youth innovation events.
Exhibitions and public events
Jornada del Día Mundial de la ELA: Investigación, Atención y Futuro (June 18, 2025)
This in-person event was held at the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge in Barcelona (Catalonia), organized jointly with the Fundació Catalana d'ELA Miquel Valls, as a key gathering preceding International ALS Day.
Speakers
Key speakers included leading researchers in ALS such as:
Dr. Pol Andrés Benito (IRBLleida) presenting the national project "SEED-ALS"
Dr. Alejandro Caravaca (CIBERNED / Bellvitge) on the international "PRECISION-ALS" initiative
Dr. Javier Mascias Cadavid (Hospital La Paz) on clinical trials in Spain
Dr. Jesús Esteban (Hospital 12 de Octubre) discussing notable trials like Tofersen and ATLAS
Dr. Raquel Barajas (Fundación Luzón) on clinical research within Europe.
Highlights
Over all the topics covered, our team representation did some highlights that included:
Current and future directions in ALS clinical trials across Spain and Europe
The integration of care between hospital and primary healthcare
Technological advances such as telemedicine tools like LINKELA and cognitive support strategies
Legislative perspectives and patient-family involvement in care frameworks.
Objectives
To disseminate accessible knowledge on ALS, showcase cutting-edge research and care methods, and reinforce collaboration among hospital-based, primary care, patient, and advocacy communities.
Reflections and impact
Attending this event placed us at the heart of Spain's ALS ecosystem, connecting with prominent researchers, patient advocates, and foundation leaders. Also helping to anchor ALSense within broader discussions on research, care, and patient empowerment.
World ALS Day Online Conference. Vall d'Hebron (June 21, 2025)
Our team participated virtually in Vall d'Hebron's online event marking World ALS/MND Awareness Day, a global awareness initiative observed annually on June 21 to unite the ALS/MND community worldwide and renew commitment to research, care, and advocacy.
Overview
Our team participated virtually in Vall d'Hebron's online event marking World ALS/MND Awareness Day, a global awareness initiative observed annually on June 21 to unite the ALS/MND community worldwide and renew commitment to research, care, and advocacy.
Key topics
Updates from ongoing clinical trials in ALS/MND research.
Patient advocacy and rights, emphasizing the lived experiences and needs of affected individuals and caregivers.
Healthcare policies and support systems aiming to ensure equitable access to diagnostics, treatment, and social support.
Objectives
The event aimed to elevate ALS/MND visibility by spotlighting global efforts, research breakthroughs, and systemic support structures. Overall, connecting stakeholders across regions through knowledge-sharing and solidarity.
Impact
This experience reinforced the patient-centered dimension of our project, reminding us of the importance of accessibility, equity, and rights in diagnostics and care. It reaffirmed ALSense's mission to serve not just as a technological innovation but as a tool aligned with real-world needs and inclusive values.
Social media and digital storytelling
At iGEM-UIC we believe that awareness of projects such as ALSense must extend beyond the scientific community. Our purpose has been to reach people of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of scientific knowledge by adapting our content across platforms, tailoring both the language and the format to our audience.
Social media strategy
For ALSense, social media became more than just a communication channel: it was a way to bring people along on our journey. Each platform allowed us to reach a different audience, and we carefully adapted our tone and content to connect with them.
On LinkedIn (iGEM Barcelona - UIC), our focus was the scientific and professional community. We regularly shared updates about our lab progress, the activities we organised, and the conferences we attended. Beyond documenting our steps, we also used the platform to provide context: posts about ALS, summaries of the latest research, and even interviews with stakeholders and team members. This mix showed both the science and the human side of ALSense, helping us build credibility as a diagnostic innovation project while fostering collaborations with professionals in biotech and medicine.
Meanwhile, Instagram and TikTok (igem_UIC) opened the door to a broader public. Here, we translated complex concepts, like ALS pathology or biomarker discovery into accessible posts.
Instagram
We focus on divulgation and information content. In our posts there are visual explanations of what ALS is or how our biosensor works for people to learn about the disease and its implication. We also publish the activities we are organizing or participating in, together with presentations of the members of the team.
The reels are dynamic and creative content that brings science into the spotlight in a more engaging way. We showcase the different roles of the team in collaboration with UIC Barcelona. In addition we posted some of the activities we participated in and patients or professionals interviews.
We also use stories to share our daily work or activities we organize and participate in. We also use it to share news and media appearances, together with our crowdfunding campaign. We organized a quiz week in order for people to participate and "evaluate" how much they know about ALS through true or false questions.
TikTok
We focus on information and entertainment content. We experimented with viral trends to reach younger audiences who might not usually encounter scientific content. We also share the daily life in the lab in a more informal way, in order to reach young people.
We embrace TikTok trends and creative formats to spark interest in laboratory work and ALS research among younger audiences. We experiment with popular audio and visual styles to make science both engaging and accessible. The objective is to reach young people, build connections and bring the day-to-day energy of research to life.
These platforms became spaces to inspire curiosity and invite people to explore science in a way that felt engaging rather than intimidating.
Through this strategy, we managed to show that science can be accurate without being inaccessible. Our social media community has grown into a lively space where followers engage actively with our posts, demonstrating that research is not only understandable, but can also be appreciated and enjoyed by audiences far beyond the laboratory.
June moves for ALS
In June, we launched our campaign "June Moves for ALS", inspired by the fact that June 21st is World ALS Day. Throughout the month, we dedicated our efforts to raising awareness about ALS by sharing educational content, informative posts, activities etc across our social media platforms, including Instagram and LinkedIn.
The campaign allowed us to connect with a wider audience, spread knowledge about the challenges faced by ALS patients, and emphasize the importance of research and early diagnosis.
Mass media
Objective: To generate visibility, gain traction, and build new connections that would help amplify our message. These appearances allowed us to broaden our audience far beyond the laboratory, situating ALSense in mainstream conversations around health and innovation.
Our project gained visibility through both local and national media outlets.
Cugat Media, VOTV (min 33), Diari de Sabadell, El 9 nou, Sant Celoni Town Hall website, Catalunya Ràdio (min 42:10), La Vanguardia, RTVE, Onda Cero.
Influencer collaboration
We partnered with well-known influencers who shared our project on their social media platforms, bringing ALSense to audiences who might not typically engage with biomedical research. The main objective was to reach larger and more diverse audiences, raise awareness about ALS, and strengthen the promotion of our crowdfunding campaign. This collaboration successfully expanded our reach and attracted interest from people outside the scientific community, demonstrating the value of bridging science with popular culture.
Nuria Pajares (384k followers)
Known for her authentic and relatable style, focusing on everyday family life with a touch of humor. She shares motherhood anecdotes, home challenges, emotional moments with her daughter and everyday situations that genuinely connect with her audience.
Carla Clavera (28.3k followers)
Publishes primarily in Catalan, focusing on book recommendations, lifestyle vlogs, fashion, travel, humor, and personal reflections.
We sincerely thank them for supporting our project and helping us amplify its impact. Their generosity in sharing ALSense with their communities allowed us to reach broader and more diverse audiences, raising awareness about ALS beyond the scientific field. Through their unique voices they played a key role in bridging science with society.
@nuriapajares | @carlaclavera
Reflections
Some argue that science should not be simplified for fear of misinterpretation. Our philosophy is different: science can be communicated in a clear and engaging way without losing accuracy. Through our digital storytelling, ALSense has become more than a diagnostic tool: it is a narrative about research, hope, and community.
By sharing our journey openly, we show that science is not only confined to the laboratory but also thrives in classrooms, social media and in everyday conversations. It becomes part of culture, inspiring curiosity and empowering people to see themselves as active participants in shaping the future.
Advertising in science is not just about visibility, it is about building bridges. Each post, talk or interaction is an invitation for someone to engage with synthetic biology and ALS in a new way. The real measure of success is not only how many people heard about ALSense, but how many felt connected to its purpose.